Woman charged in 1990 fatal stabbing in Smithville

Prosecutors have filed second-degree murder charges against a homeless woman in connection with the slaying of a Smithville, Mo., man nearly 25 years ago.

Clifford McClanahan was fatally stabbed in the summer of 1990. Detectives had been unable to make an arrest in the case in the years that followed.

Clay County Prosecutor Dan White announced Tuesday that Annette S. Davis has been charged in the case. Davis's bail has been set at $500,000 and she is scheduled for arraignment on Wednesday.

Clay County Sheriff Paul Vescovo said cold case investigators Don Mansell and Art Chevalier went back to the case in May, asking the Kansas City Police Department's Crime Lab to look at the fingerprints again.

Mansell said Davis's prints were found near the crime scene.

According to court documents, Davis told investigators that she "knew this day would come when she would be arrested for his murder."

Vescovo said he has vivid memories of the killing. He was a sergeant for the Smithville Police Department at the time.

"It happened on my watch," he said.

Vescovo praised Mansell and Chevalier for their work that led to Davis's arrest.

"They did an outstanding job," he said.

"My whole career in law enforcement has been facing challenges. This case was a challenge, a real challenge. Because there was no real lead, originally. And it's just the nature of being a police officer, when you get a challenge, you want to solve it," Mansell said.

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